


All's Not Lost

by VirgilCanWrite



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Adventure, Dragon Age: Inquisition Spoilers, Dreams and Nightmares, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Love/Hate, M/M, Mages, Mages (Dragon Age), Mages and Templars, Nightmares, Romance, Seekers, Seekers and Tevinters, Templars (Dragon Age), Tevene, Tevinter Culture and Customs, Tevinter Imperium, Tevinters, The Fade
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-20 21:03:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13725924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VirgilCanWrite/pseuds/VirgilCanWrite
Summary: Gereon Alexius was spared at his trial, but nightmares plague his days as often as his nights and the guilt of his family's death is a caustic poison in his system. Will Alexius ever recover from his past and redeem his mistakes, or will he give into an eternal spiral of madness?





	1. The Trial of Gereon Alexius

_Gereon Alexius paced his cell in Haven tiredly, exhausted but too anxious to rest. Footsteps came down the steps and echoed through the hall as someone came to his cell, but he paid it no mind until he heard his son's voice. "Hello, Father. I wanted to see you before I left."_

_Alexius slumped against the bars of his cell as he laid eyes on his son, who seemed frailer than ever before. But maybe it was just his imagination. "Felix..."_

_His son smiled softly and leaned his shoulder against the wall next to the cell door. "I hate to see you like this... Why couldn't you just listen? Why did you have to join the Venatori? You don't even support their cause. Don't try to tell me you do like you said so many times before. It was never convincing."_

_"I know," the Magister said miserably, barely keeping himself from sobbing. Alexius's fingers curled around the bars, tightening until his knuckles were white. "I know. You are correct. Oh, Felix-"_

_"Stop, Father." He reached around the bars as much as he could to put his hand over his father's. "You can't save me, and it wasn't your fault. It never was."_

_"Felix, you could have been-"_

_"No, I couldn't have," he interrupted him. "I'm going to die, Father. I said it at Redcliffe, I will say it again, and I will say it until you hear me. I am going to die. Nothing you do will change that.” Felix’s voice warped and his face split into a wide grin. Suddenly, they were standing in a field of red lyrium and Felix had become Corypheus._

_“I could have saved your son,” the twisted creature sneered and seized Alexius by his throat. “You threw it all away!”_

 

 

***

 

 

Alexius opened his eyes and blinked the sleep away. He was lying on his stomach in his cell, gripping the edge of the rawhide blanket beneath him. He flexed his fingers inside their new brown gloves.

The Inquisition had given him a change of clothes during the trek to Skyhold- a hooded red shirt made from thick material, fitted white pants similar to the black pair he once wore under his Tevinter attire, a brown belt paired with a white sash, and a pair of soft leather boots, as well as the matching gloves. He felt smaller and more vulnerable without his armor and mages’ robe, but the new clothing was certainly more comfortable for sitting around in a cell.

Alexius dragged himself to his knees and rubbed his palms against his forehead. The nightmares were constant, though he normally had more than one before dawn. The sun was just beginning to rise over the waterfall that poured from the dungeons and flooded the prison with light through the gaping hole in the keep’s wall. For safety’s sake, he prayed the Inquisition repaired it soon.

“Gereon Alexius,” a commanding voice, certainly not the prison guard, said his name in a flat, even tone.

Alexius turned and saw the woman he recognized to be the spymaster Leliana, accompanied by two soldiers. He had interacted with her scouts in Haven, as they often acted as his guards. Leliana had also visited the Chantry dungeons multiple times to question him, though, to her credit, she had never tortured him for his answers.

“Yes?” he croaked out hesitantly.

“It’s time for your trial. Everyone has gathered in the main hall.” She crossed her arms behind her back. The guards unlocked his cell door and seized him.

It felt like he was being dragged and they led him to the main hall of Skyhold, barely allowing him to gain his footing as they did so. Alexius was still stumbling when they shoved him in front of the Inquisitor, who sat with her leg crossed over her knee.

“Lady Trevelyan,” an Antivan woman with a blue and gold satin dress spoke to the court as she looked at a clipboard. “You remember Tevinter Gereon Alexius. His country has disowned him and stripped him of any ranking. He is here today, charged with apostasy, enslavement, and attempted assassination, as I am sure you are well aware.”

“I am. Tell me, Alexius, what were you hoping to gain by destroying the world?”

Alexius stared at the Inquisitor and saw a dozen outcomes flash before his eyes. He saw the Inquisitor’s blade cleaving his head off, followed by darkness. He felt his connection to the Fade destroyed, rendering him a shell of himself. A Tranquil. He saw eternal imprisonment, left to rot in a cell as rats trotted over his body as they pleased. Tears filled his eyes as he thought of Felix dying alone in Tevinter. The last time he saw his son was in Haven, and Alexius never even said goodbye. He had selfishly remained in his denial to the very end and now he wanted nothing more than to tell his son how much he would miss him.

“I just wanted to save my son, Inquisitor, and I failed.”

The Antivan woman looked surprised and confused. “You will offer nothing else in your defense?”

“No,” Alexius told them, barely managing to keep his voice even. “In fact, I beg for execution.”

The Inquisitor moved to the edge of her chair. “Felix and Dorian have both pleaded for your life to be spared. However, the magic you possess if far too dangerous to leave unchecked. Gereon Alexius, I sentence you to Tranquility.”

“You want to make me a Tranquil?” He could barely muster the words and felt as if his legs might give out.

“Inquisitor!” Fiona’s voice rang out over the court. She stepped out of the crowd behind them and walked in front of Alexius. “Might I present another option? While his magic was dangerous and he should be kept under watch, Alexius’ magic was supposed to be impossible. He is a skilled and resourceful mage. He also owes my people a debt for attempting to enslave us to Tevinter. Let us pay him what is due- make him a mage under my command.”

There was a positive roar of response from the crowd. Alexius wondered how many of them had been apart of the rebel mages and were just waiting to hear his sentence.

The Inquisitor was pensive for a moment and then nodded. “All right, Fiona. Gereon Alexius may serve under you as a lackey. For the time being, he is not allowed to leave Skyhold and may not advance in rank.”

“Thank you, Inquisitor.” Fiona bowed and turned to Alexius.

Alexius stared at her in disbelief. He fumbled to say something, anything, but he felt as if he were standing in a fog. His legs finally gave out and he hit the ground before either of the guards could catch him.


	2. A Moment's Comfort

A burst of green Rift energy surrounded Alexius as he collapsed to the ground. The guards staggered away from him and some of the crowd gasped. It faded as quickly as it had appeared, but Fiona still rushed over to the fallen magister, waving others back. “Step back, be careful! We don’t know what that was!” 

“Let me see him,” the elven mage Solas said and kneeled next to Fiona at Alexius’ side. Solas turned Alexius onto his back and put a hand over his eyes. 

“Solas, what’s going on?” the Inquisitor asked as she rushed over. Fiona stood and stepped back, watching them.

“It seems our magister collapsed from exhaustion, but some demon must have been working at him since-”

“His son died,” Fiona said quietly, remembering the conversation she overheard between both Leliana and Dorian and the Inquisitor and Dorian. Guilt started to settle in her stomach like a stone. Felix’s caretaker had sent Felix’s final letters to Dorian and Alexius, as well as a notification of his death. Fiona remembered Dorian setting the letter on her desk and asking her to take it to Alexius because he didn’t want to see his old mentor. Fiona had agreed and, out of spite, tucked the letter away to be forgotten and told the prison guard to tell Alexius that Felix had passed. Given Alexius’ already vulnerable state, a despair demon would have had no trouble latching onto him.

Solas nodded. “That sounds like an appropriate timeline.” The mage looked back at Lady Evelyn Trevelyan. “He has fallen into the Fade. Hopefully, he will wake soon. If he doesn’t, he is in a mage’s coma and will either emerge later or become an abomination.”

“Why so suddenly?” Evelyn asked though Fiona knew the answer.

“The demon heard your verdict,” Solas explained. The guards and Cullen were clearing the crowd from the hall, despite the people’s attempts to remain and watch the spectacle. “If Alexius lost his connection to the Fade, the demon would lose its prize, so it pulled him into the Fade as quickly as it could.”

Lady Trevelyan looked concerned. “Can you help him?”

Fiona saw reluctance cross Solas’ expression. Before he could make any suggestion, Fiona stepped forward. “I could keep watch over Alexius and assist him when possible, Inquisitor. I was a Grand Enchanter and have overseen many Harrowings.”

Commander Cullen walked over. “You’re going to treat this like a Harrowing? Are you mad? We should execute him now before he becomes an abomination!”

Solas stood and crossed his arms. “I am no fan of a Tevinter magister, either, Commander, but senseless death-”

“It wouldn’t  _ be _ senseless,” Cullen insisted. “He could kill us all! Do none of you know what happens when an abomination comes through? The havoc it can wreak?”

“Then assign us to a battlement tower,” Fiona interrupted. “Neither of us leaves and a rotation of Templars can bring food and water and keep watch in case one or both of us become afflicted.”

Solas scowled. “You would risk your life for the Tevinter who enslaved you?”

“I am better than letting someone die when I can help them,” she retorted and looked at Evelyn. “Please, Inquisitor. Dorian may be passive in Alexius’ fate, but I knew Felix. Making his father Tranquil or letting him die are both as much an insult to Felix’s request and memory as simply executing Alexius. Felix wanted his father to live and find new purpose when I knew him- I doubt that changed in the month he was gone.”

“If that is what you want to do, Fiona.” Lady Trevelyan nodded. “I agreed to let you recruit Alexius. If you think you can help him, so be it. Gather whatever things you might want for the stay. I’ll have some of the soldiers clear a room and bring Alexius there.”

Fiona bowed. “Thank you, Inquisitor. Thank you.” She hurried off towards the library tower. As she left the main hall, Fiona could hear Cullen’s final words on the matter.

“Why in Maker’s name would she do this?”

 

 

***

 

 

_ Six Weeks Previous… _

“Thank you, Fiona,” Felix said tiredly as she handed him the mixture of an assortment of powders that fended off the Blight. If he were not a Magister, Fiona would have enjoyed discussing different magical properties with Gereon Alexius. The Magister was skilled beyond most of the mages she had ever known. Fiona simply nodded at Felix’s thanks and took the cup back after the boy gulped the mixture. His nose was wrinkled with disgust. She wondered if Alexius would take a suggestion on berries he could safely add to the powders to make them more palatable to his son. “Can I ask you a question?”

She paused a moment, surprised. Normally, Felix politely dismissed her after taking his medicine. “Of course, ser. Is it a command?” she asked warily.

“No, but it is a favor. You can say no, I know you have no reason to care and I don’t blame you, but could you check on my father tonight?”

Fiona shook her head, confused by his request. “Your father has already gone to bed for the night, I’m certain. He said so himself that he was going to retire after we returned to the castle.”

“He won’t be sleeping,” Felix said with a small, sorrowful smile. “This is the day that my mother and I were attacked by darkspawn. Please, just look in on him. I would check on him, but he always dismisses me. He never tells me how he’s doing anymore.”

“And you think he’ll tell me?”

“I can hope he’ll tell  _ someone _ .”

 

Alexius never did tell her what was wrong. He had called her “knife-ear” and demanded that she leave before promptly shutting the door that was between them. The lock had clicked immediately.

But for one moment in time, as she stood in the open doorway before he noticed her, Fiona watched the magister weep for his wife and child as he begged the Maker not to take his son.

 

 

***

 

 

Fiona moved both of her projects, several journals, and any books she might need to the room Cullen had chosen for them in the battlements. It was close to the knight-commander and his Templars. When she made her final trip, she grabbed Felix’s letter from where she had slipped it on the library shelves and tucked it in her pocket before returning to the room.

As promised, the room had been cleared. A table had been moved in for her to work at, as well as a chair and two cots with bedding. Alexius was lying on one of the cots with one of his wrists in a shackle. The shackle had a lengthy chain that was fastened to an iron ring on the wall that looked like it was meant to hold a torch. The magister was still unconscious but was whimpering and clawing at the edge of his cot.

Fiona sat next to him and put a hand over his eyes. She had heard some elvish lullabies drew attention in the Fade. She started to sing one that she believed was called Mir Da’len Somniar, hoping that it could be heard by mages as well as spirits.

 

 

***

 

 

_ Gereon Alexius looked around at all the tombs surrounding him, all carved with Felix’s and Livia’s name. _

_ “Your fault,” the demon hissed, but Alexius turned his focus forward and kept walking. _

_ “I am in the Fade. You will not break me, creature.” Alexius could hear it slithering through the air and across the tombstones. The first time he had encountered a demon, it had been a Pride Demon. He hadn’t allowed that creature to take control, and he wouldn’t fall to some lowly devil of the Fade. It was probably a Desire Demon, feeding off his memories of Livia. It would start at the death of his family to weaken him, no doubt, and then work its way back to a point where it felt it could make convincing enough fantasies to keep him enthralled in the Fade. _

_ “I don’t need to break something already broken.” _

_ Alexius snorted. Already, its hold was loosening. He could see the Fade warping around him. The earth expanded and trees grew rapidly from the soil. He could hear what sounded like an elven lullaby filling the air and wondered if the spirits of Skyhold were the ones causing such a change. Alexius knew that his “safe place” in the Fade was always a cliff in the mountains, surrounded by snow, but this place was far from threatening and he could tell that the demon wasn’t being allowed to follow. _

_ With no other choice but to wait for whenever he woke up, Alexius sat by one of the trees. He watched leaves sprout and branches tangle together while the lullaby continued. It sounded like it was being sung by a woman. The voice was familiar, but certainly not Livia’s. His mother would have sung him such lullabies, but he doubted his father had allowed her to. Still. He hadn’t been old enough to remember anything about her, so he relaxed under that tree, taking comfort in the thought that it was memories from his infancy protecting him from the demon. _

 

 

***

 

 

Fiona paused in her lullaby and moved her hands to her lap as puffy clouds started to form against the ceiling. Snow started to drift down, though it turned to nothing as soon as it touched anything. Fiona looked back at Alexius and saw a small smile tugging at his lips. He had to be still entrenched in the Fade to be casting magic unconsciously, but she hoped the song had guided him somewhere safe and cozy with friendly spirits. 

She lightly patted her ward’s hand and then went over to the table to begin laying out her latest research. She paused as she grabbed a tome from her stack of books. It had a dusty olive green color and a worn spine. It certainly wasn’t one she remembered ever owning.

Curious, Fiona flipped open the cover. On the first page “Gereon” was written in the bottom corner. The rest of the page had been left blank, but a quick skim through the rest of the journal revealed that all but the last couple pages were brimming with ink. After a quick glance at Alexius, she turned to the first entry of the journal.


	3. Alexius' Journal

_ First Entry: _

_ Felix wants me to write in this ridiculous journal to try and work past what happened in Hossberg. I hate the color green and I wasn’t the one who was there. I don’t need to be coddled. Felix is the one who is sick and Livia… _

_ Maker, what if I had been there? Would Livia still be alive? Would Felix still be Blighted? Would we all be dead? _

_ There’s no point thinking on that or worrying about anything but Felix. The healers are doing a fine job, but I should learn to help him myself. I can’t ask other people to be up and around all hours of the day. _

 

 

_ (There are several pages of notes on alchemy and herbs, as well as mineral mixtures and other possible material sources. Dragon scales?) _

 

 

_ Second Entry: _

_ I’ve started learning healing magic. Thankfully, alchemy was my second favorite subject next to the study of elemental practices and application. I’m picking up on medicine and potions well. I just want Felix to recover. That’s all I care about. _

 

 

_ (The following pages are spattered with what looks like water droplets. Likely tears.) _

 

 

_ Third Entry: _

_ Livia’s funeral was today. Felix wept like he used to after nightmares as a young boy. I don’t blame him. I couldn’t find such emotion in myself. Livia and I were more friends than lovers, but I never wanted this. Why would I want this? We were happy. We loved our son. We loved our work. Her lover was there. He cried. I couldn’t find the tears. Why couldn’t I? I care enough about her to care that she is gone, don’t I? Felix will miss her. _

_ Oh, Felix. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there. _

 

 

 

_ Fourth Entry: _

_ Fuck Dorian! The insolent, assumptious, arrogant little bastard! He says that I need to move on, that I’m becoming a shell of myself, that I’m not the man he thought I was! My wife has died, my son is ill, and my student has become an unbearable company. How am I supposed to be acting? How should I grieve? I loved my family, am I not allowed to mourn it? _

 

 

 

_ (There are more notes on spells and potions. Alexius’ recipes for Felix’s powders are becoming more complex and surpass most medicines meant to ease the suffering of those with the Blight. These recipes are beginning to look like a possible cure.) _

 

 

_ Fifth Entry: _

_ The Elder One says he can cure Felix, but I have to serve the Venatori. I don’t agree with them. Mages- no. Not mages. Tevinters. Tevinters like the Venatori are the reason our empire can make no progress, no peace. I will not fall to their ideology. But to save Felix… _

 

 

_ (Great spans of time seem to be missing in between actual journal entries. There are some personal notes scribbled among healing instructions, but not many. There’s a drawing of what looks like a wedding ring on one page and a drawing of a swaddled baby on another.) _

 

 

_ Sixth Entry: _

_ I miss Livia. I miss Dorian. I want Felix to recover. I miss my family. Fiona saw me crying for them. I don’t know how much she saw. Why did I call her that? My mother would have slapped me across the mouth if she were around to hear me. Maker, forgive me. I know no one here ever will. Not that they should. _

_ I’m so tired. If I fail this mission, I hope I am given a swift death. No mercy. No trial. Just execution. _

 

 

 

_ Seventh Entry: _

_ Someone left a fruit tart on my desk- well, it technically is the arl’s, isn’t it- and Felix claims it wasn’t his doing. I doubt any of the Venatori left it there and the only Southern mage in the castle is Fiona. Would Fiona do something like this? I don’t understand why. If I were her, I would slit my throat while I slept.  _

_ And who told her I like blueberries? _

 

 

_ (There’s a drawing of a small fruit pie on this page, as well as a handful of carefully detailed blueberries.) _

 

 

_ Eighth Entry: _

_ I met with the Inquisition today. And it’s Herald. Felix collapsed part way through the meeting. Is the Blight catching up with him? Has Fiona not been giving him his medicine? He says she has. I can see her hatred for me, but surely she has no reason to be unkind to Felix. I hope he wouldn’t mistreat her in any way, either. I taught him better. _

_ Maybe Felix really is dying. What do I do with that knowledge? Continue on this path? Or do I beg the Inquisition to stop the Venatori and turn myself in?  _

_ Fiona was at my door again. I hope she kills me. I deserve nothing less. Under other circumstances, I would have wanted to know her. I’ve never had the chance to speak with an elf outside of Tevinter and she is a skilled mage. She handles the medicinal powders well. I wonder if she has suggestions? If only I could ask. _

 

 

 

_ Final Entry: _

_ The Herald will be coming to Redcliffe Castle tomorrow. Felix wants me to stop this and return home, but there will be no more home for us after this. The Magisterium would see to my death before allowing me to spread what I know. _

_ Maker, what have I wrought?  _


	4. The Nightmare's End

Fiona set the journal down. Outside, the sun was setting. She lit a few candles around the room and then sat beside Alexius, who had become restless again. “The Maker is not the only one who will forgive you.” She placed a hand on his shoulder, wondering if he could feel the presence of another person from within the Fade. “If you want to fight the Venatori, if you want to help save the world, if you want to honor your son, you need to fight. Fight Despair, Alexius.” 

 

 

***

 

 

_ Gereon Alexius watched over and over as the caravan was stopped by a flood of darkspawn. Sometimes, it happened as he imagined it might have happened in reality. Livia was killed as she tried to fight off darkspawn. Felix shouted in horror, begging his mother to get up. When he tried to run to Livia, he was struck with a sword and thrown into a grassy ditch where he would later be found by a Grey Warden. _

_ Sometimes, both Livia and Felix were killed. Sometimes quickly, other times slowly. Regardless, it was always brutal. At first, Alexius retched after they died. He would sob and scream at the demon that held him. Alexius could feel its black claws digging into his back, clutching at his heart and ripping apart his soul. _

_ But, after what felt like a thousand repetitions of the increasingly familiar scene, Alexius simply watched numbly. There was nothing he could do. It was the Fade. None of it was real, and yet he could not bring himself to break free, despite knowing any other mage would have fled long ago to search for a way to awaken. _

_ The scene was resetting when he heard a soft voice whispering in his ear. It was a young man’s voice, not that of the demon that held him. _

_ “I can help. You’re hurting. Hopeless. Hopelessly hurting. But I can help,” it said and, for a brief moment, he believed it. _

_ Felix’s caravan rolled into sight, but no darkspawn appeared. The caravan came to a halt in front of him. Felix stepped out and walked over to him. “Are you just going to give up, Father?” Felix asked and outstretched his hand. _

_ “Felix…” Alexius started to reach for his son’s hand. The demon shrieked and sank its talons into his heart. The scene crumbled away and Alexius cried out as he was dragged into a different nightmare. _

 

 

***

 

 

Alexius coughed. Fiona cursed and recoiled her hand as blood spattered her sleeve. She cursed again when she saw more blood trickling from the magister’s mouth and stood to get a potion, nearly running into the spirit Cole as she turned. Fiona put a hand to her heart. “Cole, what are you doing here?” she asked the spirit, trying her best not to snap at the young man. He wanted to be a human and she didn’t oppose his efforts, but she could have done without the sudden scares he tended to produce.

“I tried to help. I entered the Fade, but he didn’t hear me. Not loud enough. He needs the letter.”

Fiona paused and felt in her pocket for the folded parchment. “The letter would help him?”

“Yes. It has wishes, wishes from his son. They can guide him, bring him back. I want to help, but you have the letter.”

She raised an eyebrow but knew better than to openly doubt a spirit, especially when it had defied its own nature in the way Cole had. Fiona nodded. “Okay, Cole. Tell me when to begin.” 

 

 

***

 

 

_ “Fight Despair, Alexius!” _

_ The words echoed around him repeatedly. He heard shrieks of the demon and the Fade shifted constantly around him, torn between what form to take, and then it finally settled. _

_ Alexius looked around at the fields of red lyrium that surrounded him. A foreboding forest. Even so, a new strength filled him. It didn’t feel like it was his own, but he still strode forward, ready to face whatever would come. _

_ Felix stepped from behind one of the pillars. His eyes glowed red, but Alexius did not falter as he had before. He summoned the Staff of Stasis and brought an ice spell to his fingertips. “I demand you fight me, Despair.” _

_ The demon, cloaked as Felix, screeched at him wordlessly. It morphed into Corypheus and grinned. “You could have saved him!” _

_ It was the same threat. He knew it was being repeated, that it was a demon speaking, but it still dug into his heart. What if he could have saved Felix? Alexius felt his spell fade away and started to give in again. _

_ “Father.” Alexius turned when he felt Felix’s hand on his shoulder. No one was there, but he could hear his son speaking. “First, I want to tell you that none of this is your fault. Not the end of the world, not the Breach, not the Venatori, not Mother dying, not me falling ill, and certainly not my dying.” _

_ “No!” the demon bellowed. Alexius glanced at it and saw vines slowly wrapping around it. It still held the shape of Corypheus, but it had become a dark mass of a shadow. _

_ “I know what you would say, Father,” Felix continued. Alexius still couldn’t see him anywhere in the clearing, but the hold on his shoulder tightened. Trees started to replace the spikes of red lyrium. “You would tell me it was all your fault. Yes, you made your choice to attack the Herald. You chose to join the Venatori. You chose to stay in Minrathous. But you’re not the Elder One. You did not form the Venatori, the world never ended. I can’t be saved, but the world? I think the Inquisition will have no trouble fixing this whole mess.” _

_ Grass broke through the earth. The sky overhead filled with clouds. Alexius’ vision blurred. “I’m sorry I can’t be there. Even as I write this, I can feel the Blight catching up with me. I wanted to thank you before I was gone, Father, even if I can’t do it in person. Thank you for being a wonderful father and teacher. Thank you for letting me leave Tevinter for Orlais and the Anderfels, for letting me see the world.” _

_ Despair shrieked again, but its screaming faded into nothing. Alexius put his hand on the invisible one squeezing his shoulder. Tears were running down his cheeks. The trees that had grown around him started to turn red and orange and yellow. Their leaves started to fall from their branches. _

_ “Thank you for keeping me alive. But your job’s done now. Dorian still needs a father if you have a desire to mother-hen something to death, but you don’t need to worry about me anymore. End the Breach, end this apocalypse, and then, for Maker’s sake, find a way to be happy. I know you’ll miss Mother and me, but I don’t want despair to take you. I doubt Mother would, either. This letter’s already long enough, but one last thing. I know you didn’t want to say goodbye, and that’s okay. I’ll say it for us both. I love you, Father. Goodbye.” _

_ Snow started to drift from the sky and swirled around the clearing. His breath formed clouds in the air. The forest gave way to his Fade. Endless stretches of hills blanketed in snow surrounded him. _

_ “Love, Felix.” _

 

 

***

 

 

Fiona finished reading the letter and carefully folded it back into fourths. She set it aside and looked at Alexius. There were tears trickling from the corners of his eyes. He hadn’t woken, but he was calm.

“He is here,” Cole said softly. “He hurts, but Despair left.”

Fiona smiled at the spirit. “Thank you, Cole.”

“No. Thank  _ you _ .”

The spirit left and she didn’t bother to wonder where he had gone. Cole likely wouldn’t have let her remember if he had told her where he was going. Fiona stood and gave Alexius’ shoulder one last squeeze before going to tell the Templars outside the door that the danger had passed.


End file.
